novelapdf Chapter 160 The Wonderful Sound Sect Presents
Chapter 160 The Wonderful Sound Sect Presents
Chapter 161 The Wonderful Sound Sect Presents
This method, along with the Taoist practice of "severing the three corpses" and the Buddhist practice of "subduing the restless mind," may seem to follow different paths, but in reality, they lead to the same goal: cultivating one's mind and nature, freeing oneself from external demons and internal desires, and achieving a state of clarity of mind.
Since it is born, it must be cut down.
Practice this almost brutal "White Bone Contemplation" method to observe and eliminate the various desires and emotions arising from one's own thoughts.
Is it because Lu Jianghe felt that worldly desires were growing within him?
At that very moment, beneath the surface of the lake in his heart, a completely different "Lu Jianghe" was reflected.
The two figures are upside down, like symmetrical mirror images.
However, unlike the eerie "sea of flowers" on the lake surface, which was covered with countless smiling female corpses, the "Lu Jianghe" under the water mirror was languid and carefree, enjoying being surrounded by women formed from his thoughts.
They are no longer phantoms awaiting slaughter, but vibrant and alive beings.
Her jade-like arms wrapped around his neck, her soft hands gently caressed his face, her warm breath was close to his, and her eyes were full of allure.
The decadent music intensified, as if a thunderbolt had ignited a fire in the earth, threatening to drag him completely into that boundless sea of desire, causing him to sink into the ultimate pleasure.
The mirror image of Lu Jianghe had a playful smile on his lips, as if mocking the "self" on the lake who was severing ties with his sword.
On the lake, Lu Jianghe's eyes remained calm and undisturbed.
He quietly watched the "self" immersed in the water mirror, watching those illusions that shared the same origin as his own thoughts but went to different extremes.
In the mirror, "Lu Jianghe" had "Zhuang Huayi" on his left and right, his palms wantonly kneading and shaping her into various unsightly forms. He sneered, "The pleasures of men and women are a natural and proper principle of Yin and Yang. By restraining your nature like this, how much joy do you needlessly squander? Why not learn from me, neither welcoming nor rejecting, but indulging in this pleasure? In this world, there are countless paths to heaven and to the Dao, which one is not the right path?!"
Lu Jianghe stood still on the lake, his eyes as calm as an ancient well.
Seeing that he remained silent, the mirror image became increasingly sharp in its words and more intimate in its actions.
"You've slain so many delusions, but has even a single one truly vanished? They're nothing but poisonous flowers growing in your heart! Your vision is clouded, your heart's defenses unbroken; what good will wielding a thousand swords do?"
Lu Jianghe remained calm, but with a slight thought, the eerie "sea of flowers" beneath his feet, conjured by his thoughts, instantly transformed into piles of white bones, stacked like mountains.
Just how terrifying are inner demons?
This situation is just the tip of the iceberg of its horror.
As the saying goes, "The higher the path, the greater the demon's." The struggle between a cultivator and his inner demons is often extremely dangerous.
The "inner demon" before him, created by his own contemplation, is not even a true inner demon, but merely an illusion projected by his own thoughts to temper his mind.
However, even so, the bewildering power it displays is already terrifying.
If one were to encounter a true inner demon born from flaws in one's spiritual heart and entanglements with karma, what a terrifying sight that would be.
The so-called inner demons can be roughly divided into two types.
Firstly, some cultivators, for example, do not think about anything, which is actually a kind of pure Dao heart, and they will be suppressed by their inner demons with force.
It's like trying to enter a house only to be blocked by someone, and that person just happens to be standing on the door frame, a little taller than you.
Secondly, it is even more unpredictable and difficult to guard against. It arises from those seemingly ethereal yet deeply rooted "five leaks" in the mind of a cultivator.
Greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt are the fertile ground for the growth of inner demons and the root of all delusions, attachments, and fears of cultivators.
Every crack or flaw in one's Daoist heart, every obsession, can become a breeding ground for inner demons to quietly grow.
The monks on the mountain often say "sever the seven emotions and six desires," which is by no means empty talk.
Its fundamental purpose is to minimize the factors that give rise to inner demons, and to prevent cultivators from being taken advantage of by inner demons on the critical path, who then seize their minds, occupy their bodies, and commit the act of "usurping the nest."
Such tragedies are not uncommon.
Lu Jianghe stood atop a mountain made of countless white bones.
He gently shook his head.
"It seems that this visualization is still not pure enough."
It is not purely a view of skeletons.
It could be described as an alternative form of imitation.
He murmured to himself, his voice creating barely perceptible ripples on the still lake of his heart.
"Ultimately, it's just a hypothetical state; trying to achieve it deliberately is a poor approach."
He examined the eerie scene beneath his feet, a scene he had personally constructed, and the mirrored self deep within his heart, a self drowning in a sea of desire.
"Isn't this being overly cautious?"
The idea quietly emerged.
In reality, worldly desires and worldly concerns did not truly exist for him.
Previously, Lu Jianghe had been surrounded by several women, yet he had not felt the slightest discomfort.
It's so ordinary that it's almost imperceptible.
But Lu Jianghe knew that some seemingly harmless things often corrode silently, like "boiling a frog in warm water."
It may start as a single thought, but it will gradually spread from a point to a surface, until it becomes a habit and is eventually accepted by default.
By then, it will be too late to extricate yourself from the situation.
In fact, the purity of sword cultivation has nothing to do with romantic love between men and women.
When it comes to love, whether it's good or bad, who can truly say for sure?
On the long road of cultivation, there are indeed couples who can use love to temper their hearts and even attain the Great Dao together.
However, throughout history, most of the great cultivators who have truly reached the pinnacle and attained enlightenment have been solitary individuals.
In fact, Lu Jianghe now feels that he may have been too "protective".
Things that never existed should simply be left to fall naturally, like autumn leaves.
If you forcefully suppress or deliberately avoid it, it's like drawing a circle around yourself and imprisoning yourself. Wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse and ultimately giving rise to even more troublesome inner demons?
After all, isn't forcing someone to be "ruthless" just another form of obsession?
He has truly grasped this principle today.
Having figured this out, Lu Jianghe, who was sitting cross-legged on the futon, slowly opened his eyes, and the outside world came back into view.
At that moment, they sensed someone outside the quiet room.
A quick scan with his divine sense revealed it to be Zi Ling.
What is she here for?
He casually opened the restriction.
Zi Ling gracefully entered the quiet room, having changed out of her usual purple palace attire and into an elegant white dress.
Compared to the vibrant purple gown, this white dress accentuated her ethereal and otherworldly beauty, making her appear even more breathtaking with the slightest movement of her garments.
Seeing Lu Jianghe sitting cross-legged on the futon, Zi Ling slowly stepped forward, gently bent her knees, and knelt down in front of him.
He then waved his hand.
In a flash of inspiration, several ancient books, a restriction token, a jade slip token needed for the core inheritance of the Miaoyin Sect, and the most important treasure of the sect, the Wooden Dragon Stele, along with some other items, flew out of the storage bag in a series and quietly floated between the two.
(P.S.: I've been busy these past few days and haven't been updating as much. Please forgive me, fellow Daoists.)